The chain continues its anti-clown digs at McDonald's

Ever since Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker debuted last October, a certain staircase in the Bronx has become a mandatory stop for fans, especially those in costume.

Inspired by a memorable scene of the anti-hero dancing down a flight of stairs—situated in real life at Shakespeare and Jerome Avenues—to the tune of Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2,” fans have converged on the staircase daily for months. As you might imagine, that’s not always a delight for the Bronx residents just trying to go about their days.

Now Burger King is showing some support for the locals by offering a free Whopper via delivery service Uber Eats to anyone who lives in the Bronx. A video promo and print ad for the promotion make it clear that this is less about picking on Joker fans than it is about continuing the brand’s long-running crusade against clowns (a proxy, of course, for rival McDonald’s Ronald McDonald).

The promotion was created by longtime Burger King agency partner David, though this time marks the first Burger King work from the agency’s relatively new Madrid office. The launch was timed for today as Joker makes its retail debut on disc.

“King Stairs” continues Burger King’s years-long spree of marketing poking fun at McDonald’s by way of linking the megabrand to any thing annoying or creepy about clowns.

The trend really got rolling in 2017, when agency LOLA MullenLowe created Scary Clown Night, a promotion offering free Whopppers to anyone on Halloween who came into a Burger King dressed as a clown. That promotion was dreamed up by creative leader Pancho Cassis, who is now global CCO of David, the agency behind the new Joker-centric campaign.

LOLA MullenLowe also created a relatable print campaign in 2019 about how children can be traumatized by clowns at parties. “Birthdays should be happy,” the copy noted. “Ask our manager about booking a clown-free party.”